"Make hummus, not war"

Siavosh Derakhti

“We wanted to build bridges between various minorities. We were going to fight hatred with love. For every individual in here can make a difference, and we should not be fearing extremism or radicalization or terrorists. The only thing we should be fearful of is the good people’s silence.”

Social activist, Siavosh Derakhti, was born in Sweden of Iraninan immigrant parents. In his talk, Siavosh shares his experience growing up in Malmö, describing the events that motivated him to start the Young People Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia organization.

Stockholm Peace Talks 2017. Recorded at Stockholm City Hall on March 21, 2017.

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Siavosh Derakhti

Swedish social activist

Siavosh is a Swedish Social Activist, founder of Young People Against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia. He was born in Sweden of Iranian parents with Azerbaijani origins, who fled Iran in search of a better life in Scandinavia. As a teenager, concerned by growing anti-Semitism sentiments among his fellow Muslim friends, he organized a trip to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Germany, seeking to build bridges of understanding between Jews and Muslims. His initiative blossomed into a movement to combat xenophobia in Sweden, and Siavosh now travels throughout the country to spread his message of equality and dignity to schools, businesses and civil society organizations.

“We cannot rest until we see that what we do, actually makes a difference on the ground and improves the lives of people.”

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in New York, Olof Skoog, gives a personal account of his experience representing Sweden on the United Nations Security Council. He emphasizes the importance of listening to the real voices around the world, to make a greater impact on the ground.

Stockholm Peace Talks 2017. Recorded at Stockholm City Hall on March 21, 2017.

Join the Peace Talks Community on Facebook and follow Peace Talks on Twitter.